Robotics

Virtual reality is fast becoming commoditized with the rise of consumer-ready VR goggles like the Gear VR or, in the near future, the Oculus Rift. However, for all the sights, and sometimes sounds, that these devices offer, they still lack one crucial part of the whole VR experience: touch. That problem may have now met its match in Dexmo, an admittedly frightening looking exoskeleton just for your hands that not only lets you control robotic or virtual hands, it also lets you feel that a bit as well.

Say hello to J-deite Quarter, a four-foot tall, 77-pound real working transformer. Built by two Japanese engineers with their companies' support, the bipedal robot can walk at a speed of 0.6 mph, and change into the shape of a 3-foot long sports car that can drive up to 6 mph. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

As fears continue to grow over the recent outbreak of Ebola, scientists and researchers in the U.S. are hoping to develop a strategy for combating the virus' spread through the use of robots and autonomous vehicles. November 7th will see workshops put together by the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue that brings robotocists together with members of the medical and humanitarian aid communities to hopefully find a solution.

iRobot, most known to consumers as the company that makes the popular automated vacuum cleaner Roomba, has announced a new operating system that can improve autonomous robots used by the military and in disaster situations. Through the use of an Android app, iRobot hopes to allow military robots to better think on their own, requiring less human time at the controls.

Anki has a flood of good news today for fans of its DRIVE racing video game slash robot car racing. Along with a new extension car named Spektrix, the company is also announcing a new and lower pricing scheme for its products. On the mobile app side, iOS users will have two new racing modes to enjoy while those on Android will have a promise to hold on to.

This week the folks at iRobot have brought forth customization for their official Roomba lineup. You too can make your DJ Roomba ready for the club with a cool set of color combinations in five separate areas throughout the machine. There’s a customization factory online and you’ll be able to begin tapping in today.

Robotics seem like a great idea, but there’s always that Terminator scenario in the back of our minds. “What if the machines really do become self-aware?”, we ask silently while grinding our teeth to avoid bawling like scared children. If the machines someday do push us to the brink of extinction, it might be this one that ultimately seals our fate.

The idea of domestic robots isn't new, but Intel and Trossen Robotics are aiming to make it actually happen with the 3D-printed Jimmy powered by the chip firm's new Edison development board. Trossen has been offering the original Jimmy for some time now, a $16,000 'bot powered by an Intel Core i5 chip, but its new little brother - the HR-OS1 - promises to come in at a tenth of the price and, so the theory goes, open up the space to those who aren't adept at robotics programming.

Remember the words of warning given to use by the wise Weird Al Yankovic, for today, Canada’s Department of National Defense is summoning iRobot with defense contracts. They’ll be working primarily with 20 iRobot 510 PackBot CBRN Recce Systems, each of them working to detect Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives.

The team that created the robotic sphere known as Sphero is back. Sphero was first revealed in 2010 and continues to have no rival - there’s simply no remote-control device on the market like it. Here in 2014, Sphero (formerly called Orbotix) brings Ollie (originally code-named Sphero 2B) to market with a completely new form-factor - a cylinder.